The Coyotes are in serious trouble. Thing is, I'm not sure if it's the Coyotes or the league that could suffer worse for it.

People who are stuck in hedge funds are scraping to get 40 cents on the dollar in return right now. Current ownership is doomed as I see it. The question may not be relocating, but folding... though there are outs via declaring bankruptcy.

I would think that there would be a city with the finances to make a deal that would be better than filing bankruptcy. Perhaps Winnipeg would like them back...

Winnipeg didn't really want them in the first place. They had so-so attendance for most of their NHL tenure before the move to Phoenix. The only two previous markets that could work are hartford and Quebec City, and the only other Canadian city that has the population to support a team is Hamilton, ON, which is right in the middle of three markets in Toronto, Buffalo, and Detroit.

I do agree, it looks really bad for the sport if they let a team fold. They may end up having to do something like MLB did with the Expos in taking over operations.

Basically, by filing for bankruptcy, the bankruptcy court has jurisdiction over the sale of the team. This is not how the NHL manages sales of franchises. The league likes to broker the deals.

The NHL commish doesn't want Balsillie in the league, and takes it as a personal failure if hockey doesn't work in Phoenix, since the growth into warm-weather US markets happened on his watch.

So now, it's a question of "does the bankruptcy court have the power to decide if the team will re-locate?" since the terms of the Balsillie bid for the Coyotes is conditional on the team moving to Southern Ontario?If the NHL fights it, they might have an anti-trust lawsuit on their hands, too.

Personally, I think it's stupid that we have teams in warm weather where few people care about hockey, and while there's two teams in New York and Los Angeles, there's only one team in a Toronto, which has an increased passion for the sport.

The big concern isn't what it would do to the Maple Leafs, who'd be just fine. It's what it would do to Buffalo.

The Penguins have been in and out of bankruptcy at least twice, and maybe 3 times.

In 1983, Ralston-Purina owned the St. Louis Blues. Ralston sold the franchise to a Canadian guy who was intent on moving the team to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The league office (I think John Ziegler was running the show back then) didn't want a team moving from St. Louis to Saskatchewan so they pulled a fast one.

The league lined up an owner (Harry Ornest) who was committed to keeping the Blues in St. Louis. The league then took ownership of the St. Louis Blues franchise, all their assets and liabilities, and awarded a new franchise to Harry Ornest, along with all the player contracts, building lease agreement, etc. (He called this new franchise the St. Louis Blues.... (imagine that), and essentially just continued their operation. IIRC, because he was awarded a new franchise, the league was able to indemnify him from any lawsuits from Ralston-Purina and the Saskatoon guy.

Eventually, Ralston and the Saskatoon guy settled with the league. Ralston got some payment for the franchise that reverted to league ownership (and was dissolved), and the Saskatoon guy got some payment as compensation for having the league void his purchase.

During all this mess (around June 1983) the NHL conducted their entry draft (18-year-olds from Junior hockey and college hockey). The Blues ownership situation was in a total state of flux, so the Blues had NOBODY there to draft, when it was their turn. So the Blues drafted NOBODY in the 1983 entry draft. This makes a good trivia question.....

The NHL owners have the right to approve or deny any relocation. Basille (the "Blackberry" guy from Hamilton, Ont. who now is pursuing the 'Yotes) had an agreement to buy the Penguins 2 years ago, but there was a clause in the sales contract that allowed it to be voided, relating to relocation. Not sure if Lemieux voided that agreement, when Basille announced that his intent was to move the team, or if Basille voided it when it appeared that relocation would be denied.

Lemieux persevered and FINALLY got government assistance to finance a new arena in Pittsburgh that is now under construction, and should replace the "Igloo" (Mellon Arena a/k/a "the Civic Arena") sometime next year. Mellon Arena is the oldest building in the NHL (constructed in 1960, the seating capacity is currently only about 16,000). It has some fascinating architecture - a retractable roof (six 45 degree slices that can slide around and nest under the 90 degree statioinary roof section). It'd be a shame to tear it down....See the Jean-Claude Van Damme movie "Sudden Death" (written by Karen Elise Baldwin, wife of fromer Penguisn owner), also see "The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh", filmed during the mid-1970s before much of the seating expansion in the Igloo).

The city of Glendale is trying to float bonds to the tune of $195 million. Doing so will draw a buyer to purchase the Coyotes (and stay in Glendale, and charge for parking finally) for $150-170 million. Freaky, no?

There's a private institute sporting the Goldwater name that is fighting the bond sale, citing a supposed Arizona law against subsidizing private business. I hadn't heard of this until catching a little NHL network last night.

At least I've had the sense that the NHL is actually trying to protect the Coyotes in Glendale, simply because having to leave there dissuades other markets from building arenas for NHL teams. Thing is, I'm at least getting the sense that the bond sale is probably going to be blocked. At that point, the discussion becomes a move back to Winnipeg, apparently.

Still, in this case, I see the NHL fighting to the bitter end on this one.

...I'm sorry, but in watching Gary Bettman associate with all the slime the league has dealt with for the bulk of his tenure (a good portion of it probably residual from previous administrations, because I think Bettman is just a continuation of problems), why am I still jonesing for the league schedule in order to plan a road trip this year?

The people rioting in Brazil have it right. I hope to see you on the streets this week. Ridiculous.

Last night at a city council meeting, the city of Glendale, AZ approved a $15 million x 15 year = $225 million subsidy for the Phoenix Coyotes proposed new ownership group to stay in greater Phoenix.

Glendale (also location of the Arizona Cardinals "University of Phoenix" Stadium) built the arena and lured the Coyotes previous ownership to relocate to the Northwest suburb several years ago.The Yotes (since their move from Winnipeg) had been plying in the Phoenix Suns [previously names America West] Arena, which wsa built for basketball, and really did not accommodate a hockey rink well.The original lease was ratehr pricey, and the Yotes had to charge an arm and a leg for ticket, concessions, and parking... and this led to poor attendance and massive losses.

So the Yotes had threatened to break the lease / sell / relocate / some combination of the above. In order to keep the team in Glendale, and re-coup some of the cost of the building, the city evidently is giving the new ownership a sweetheart deal.

Hey guys! They Coyotes are still going strong and they're doing fairly well this season too! In fact, they're currently leading the Pacific. who knows huh?

So much for that.

Next week, the belief is that an arena management contract will be ironed out between the city of Glendale and AEG. Basically, the Coyotes don't want to be in a position where they're a mere renter. Yet they're trying to tout the possibility of sharing a new arena with the Phoenix Suns when most observers think Suns owner Robert Sarver wants no part of a second tenant that doesn't pay him full rent. Or Arizona State is supposed to be looking for a new hockey arena, except probably no bigger than 8,000. Anthony LeBlanc is trying to tout every last possible rumor as a site under discussion, but I doubt anyone's buying it other than the local media.

The Coyotes could move this summer under certain conditions. They're more likely to finalize a final year of the current agreement while nothing else happens. After this, does the NHL steer the Coyotes to Vegas and undermine their own expansion process? Do they steer the Coyotes to Quebec and both undermine expansion AND the relatively new geographic divisions? Do you drop the price and try to relocate elsewhere?

Fold a team in this day and age?

Unearth Veterans Memorial Coliseum from the cobwebs?

Really suck it up and play with the Suns in Talking Stick while keeping the local options open?

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum